Decatur (Ill.) MacArthur junior wide receiver/safety prospect Karon Shelley (6-foot-0, 170 pounds) was one of several impressive underclassmen athletes who took part in the recently held first ever Peoria area Ball4LIFE 7on7 event. Shelley was impressive on both sides of the football and is a name to watch in the Class of 2022. Get to know Karon Shelley here.
"I played at (Decatur) Eisenhower last season and transferred to Mac this past summer," Shelley said. "It's been going fine but it's also been weird since I've been taking classes online and I haven't met any of my teachers in person at all. It's been going ok so far with online classes but they can also be a challenge at times."
Shelley has fit in well with his new teammates at MacArthur despite not having any fall contact days.
"We didn't have any contact days with our team this fall and since we aren't in school taking classes we also haven't had any contact with our coaches at all. WE have been going out on our own and getting work outs on at the YMCA along with us just going out to the field on our own to work. I'm up at 4AM and I go and life at the YMCA and then in the afternoon I'll go out to then field and get more work in. It's been at least 5 days a week of lifting, running and conditioning and then going home and doing homework."
Has Shelley begun to draw any recent recruiting attention so far this fall?
"I've been getting some follows on Twitter from some different colleges. I've gotten mail and contact from Miami of Ohio. The coaches from Wisconsin Platteville talked to me at the 7on7 and I know that Kent State contacted my coaches at school about me. My dream school has been Missouri but lately I'm also really feeling Miami of Ohio and what they have to offer."
Shelley also reflected back on his 2019 season and how his game has changed since last season.
"I was a varsity starter at Eisenhower since my freshman year and I played receiver and defensive back. My freshman year was a huge jump going from JFL to varsity football. I remember our first game was against Jacksonville and I was thrown right into it. After that first game things settled down for me and I felt more and more comfortable. I'm working on improving my speed along with getting faster and getting in and out of cuts faster."
Shelley is also starting to fit in well with his teammates despite having very limited time working with them.
"I pretty much already knew a lot of the kids already at Mac before I transferred in and the 7on7 was great. I was able to get work in with my teammates and it's been all good and all love from them."
